Atrial septal defects (ASDs) are a common congenital abnormality, and operative repair is a routine, safe procedure. Diversion of the inferior vena cava (IVC) into the left atrium is an unusual complication following ASD closure. We report a case that illustrates the problem created by this right-to-left shunt. A middle-aged woman underwent ASD repair. She developed hypoxemia postoperatively. A transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed a right-to-left shunt, found only with agitated saline injected into the femoral vein, not into the basilic vein. Surgical reexploration revealed a residual ASD diverting IVC flow into the left atrium, which was repaired with a pericardial patch. Echocardiography with agitated saline injected from the femoral vein is an easy method to diagnose this uncommon complication.
Article
Diversion of the inferior vena cava following repair of atrial septal defect causing hypoxemia
Internal Medicine
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2004
Disciplines
Abstract
Citation Information
Thompson, E., Moritz, D., Perdue, R., & Cansino, S. (2004). Diversion of the inferior vena cava following repair of atrial septal defect causing hypoxemia. Echocardiography, 21(4), 329-332.
This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Thompson, E., Moritz, D., Perdue, R., & Cansino, S. (2004). Diversion of the inferior vena cava following repair of atrial septal defect causing hypoxemia. Echocardiography, 21(4), 329-332, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0742-2822.2004.02089.x/abstract. Copyright © 2004, John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved. The published version is available through PubMed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15104546.